1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electronic communication equipment, and more particularly to a connector assembly for electronic hardware.
2. Background Art
There are a wide variety of instances in which it is desirable to mount connectors, such as input/output ports (or jacks) on a printed circuit board, for transmission of signals between different internal elements of an electronic device or for transmission of signals between one or more elements of the device and electronic equipment external to the device. For example, audio/video devices such as switchers may include a number of ports protruding through an outer frame for connecting with a number of external electronic devices. Each port is typically connected, within the switcher or other type of device, to one or more unshielded wires leading to one or more locations on an internal printed circuit board (PCB or PC board) that deliver an output signal(s) and/or receive an input signal(s).
If the port is an output port, a mating plug or connector when connected thereto will receive an output signal from the PC board. If the port is an input port, a mating plug or connector when connected thereto can deliver an input signal to the PC board. In this manner, audio, video, communication and/or control signals may be transmitted in and out of the electronic device via those port connections.
Many types of ports are commonly used by those in the art. One example of a widely used port is the BNC connector (variously known as a “bayonet nut connector” or “Bayonet Neill Concelman” connector). When multiple BNC connectors are installed on a printed circuit board, the integrity of the PCB board may be compromised each time a cable plug is attached to or removed from one of the connectors. The printed circuit board is flexible whereas the connectors are generally inflexible, resulting in the creation of stress points where the connectors meet the PC board. The frequent attachment and removal of cable plugs from the assembly may result in wearing of the PC board material and/or cracking of traces or solder on the printed circuit board, particularly in the vicinity of the connectors. Thus, after repeated use, these electronic devices may fail.
Another issue with placing multiple connectors on a PC board is that each connector must be individually placed and soldered. This added complexity adds to assembly time, as well as wear on the assembler. Further, the opportunities for alignment errors and solder failures increase with each connector. Obtaining uniform performance across multiple copies of the same PC board is made more difficult.
A further issue with connectors of the sort described above is that they have a detrimental effect on the transmission of high frequency signals. For example, the unshielded lengths of wire used to couple connectors to the PC board are subject to undesired effects such as crosstalk, and the added impedance of the unshielded wire and its contacts with the connector and the PC board results in degradation of the system frequency response, attenuating and distorting signals at higher frequencies.
There is a need for an improved connector assembly that provides more ease and reliability in manufacturing, structural strength to the printed circuit board assembly, and improved frequency response characteristics.